Cope
by Singe
Summary: Because they had all been forced to learn how to survive alone...and occasionally, a replacement is necessary when the original is unobtainable. //NaruSasu, onesided SasuSaku, implied SuiSasu//


**Author's Note: **So the poll on my profile suggested people want more Hebi love from me…but lately my life has been too stressful and busy for me to want to write about the randomosity that is Hebi. For some reason, my mind kept straying back to Team 7 angst and contemplation fics. So, out of that, this little fic was born, a combination of Hebi and Team 7…and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

And look, it's a pairing fic! Well, in an extremely mild sort of way…included are:

NaruSasu (really, the manga makes this so easy these days)  
SuiSasu (… because I was bound to write it eventually, though what shows up here can easily be taken as just friendship)  
SasuSaku (one-sided…and even then I never thought I'd see the day I'd write it)

Be warned: there are some spoilers for recent manga chapters, and then it is back to my rambling through the Naruto-verse.

As always, read and review.

**Disclaimer**: I make no claim of ownership on any of the characters, series plot, or whatever else that belongs to the creators of the manga/anime/etc. Rawr.

Title: Cope  
Rating: T (Due to our dear Sui having a dirty mouth and being a bad influence.)  
Author: Singe  
Summary: Because they had all been forced to learn how to survive alone.

**0**O**0**O**0**O**0 **

They had both found replacements along the line, whether or not they wanted to admit it.

Sai had slowly begun to fill the missing Uchiha's place in Team 7, though there were some gaps everyone knew he would never be able to fill. Neji and Gaara had become his sources of stoic, sarcastic comments and friendly/violent competition. And in a number of small, unidentifiable ways, his love for Sakura had shifted from that of a boy interested in a girl to that of two close friends. But even then, all of his friends and loved ones and even the people he had met through his travels with Jiraiya, never added up to the one person, the only person, he had ever truly lost. Sure, Naruto's parents were dead as well as some of the people he had known along the way like Haku and Zabuza…but the loss of his best friend to his own personal darkness was still the most painful wound he had ever endured.

Sasuke had seen the shift in the team dynamics briefly when Naruto, Sakura, and those other two shinobi had come barreling into one of Orochimaru's hideouts, no doubt looking for him more than doing what they were supposed to be doing for the sake of their mission…whatever the hell it had been. He had witnessed the changes and wondered if the new squadron leader possessed even half the abilities and knowledge that Kakashi had—where the hell was he, anyway?—and if the replacement for himself was even worth acknowledging. So he had paid little attention to the new dynamics and focused on the fact that his once best friend/rival was so utterly concentrated on bringing him back to Konoha. And it wasn't until weeks later that the Uchiha realized how much he had missed the relationships that had once existed among his former team.

But even knowing that, Sasuke refused to admit the feeling had anything to do with the fact that he eventually ended up traveling in a group of four. And of course, it was pure coincidence that his most constant companion was loud and obnoxious and had never maintained even a passing relationship with the concept of tact. It was just by chance that the medical specialist in the squad was female, possessed a unique hair color naturally, and focused at least half of her attention on attempting to gain his favor. And really, what did it matter if the final member of the squad was usually silent, unexpectedly powerful, and happened to be one of the few people he knew that towered over him height-wise?

These correlations went ignored and unacknowledged by the pale teenager, but his once-companion was not able to brush them off. Just as the Uchiha had been, the Uzumaki had noticed the dynamics of his rival's team. But it was one relationship in particular that bothered him the most.

It scared him. It shouldn't have, he had faced far more dangerous, far more deadly situations without flinching. Yet this…this shook him to his Kyuubi-containing core. Because Uzumaki Naruto did not know what to do or how to react the moment he first realized his best friend may have replaced him.

The picture was grainy, taken too far away and with a camera too low quality to preserve the details he so craved to see. But the image was clear enough to recognize Uchiha Sasuke, just as much as it was barely vivid enough to display that smug smile. That smile that had only ever been aimed at him, the smile that the blond shinobi believed was something that belonged solely to himself. But here it was, in a low-resolution picture taken by a surveillance team in a busy market in some unidentified town. And no matter how grainy the image was, no matter how much he squinted and silently prayed otherwise, the form on the receiving end of that smile was not himself. In fact, the shinobi—the other man in the picture had to have been a shinobi, as Sasuke— _his _Sasuke-teme, goddamnit—would not be speaking to a civilian that casually, much less actually _smiling _at them.

He had tried to tell himself that Sasuke must have needed something from the pale-haired man in the picture, that the Uchiha had to play nice to get what he wanted, and that was all. But then by chance he had overheard a report being given by an ANBU member about the movements of the missing Uchiha and his squad, the information apparently being provided in order to update the latest edition of the Bingo books carried by all upper level soldiers. And in her report, the masked shinobi described briefly each of the members of Hebi, among them a white-haired missing-nin from Mist who seemed to have been keeping the Uchiha company the longest.

Hearing this, something had whispered in the back of Naruto's mind, pointing out that if Sasuke had left Sound with this other guy, then he must have known him before the assassination of Orochimaru. That thought was quickly followed by another that reminded him that the pale, pointy teethed bastard had not only been with _his_bastard for months, but possibly even years. For possibly as long as he, Naruto, had not been.

And something within him snapped.

He stole the picture from the file that he was not supposed to know existed. So that he would know, so that he would recognize the asshole who dared to try and take his place in Sasuke's life if they were ever to meet. He dramatically increased his training, ignoring the remarks made by Kakashi and Jiraiya about his renewed vigor and the scoldings he received from Tsunade and Sakura every time he woke up in the hospital after having pushed himself too far.

Because he swore he would get his best friend back.

Even if he had to kill everyone who had ever tried to take Sasuke away.

Even if he had to almost kill Sasuke to remind the raven-haired boy exactly where and to whom he really belonged.

And he knew that he would make the Uchiha pay for every time that smile was directed towards anyone but himself.

And then suddenly they learned Itachi was dead and that Sasuke was passed out somewhere fairly close by. And it sounded as if the Uchiha were alone, as if his self-made squadron had abandoned him. So he had charged in, determined to end this, to prove his place, to regain his best friend.

But it hadn't mattered. No matter how fast he had run, no matter how hard he had tried, by the time they had reached the decimated location where the final fight between the Uchiha brothers took place, Sasuke was long gone.

And this time, he couldn't even blame the shark-toothed, white-haired bastard.

**0**O**0**O**0**O**0**

Sometimes he wished he could question Sasuke, wished he could demand that the boy tell him everything, wished he could take those thin shoulders in his hands and shake the thin form until every ounce of truth fell to the floor. But he knew better than to try anything of the sort. At best, Sasuke would ignore him. At worst, he would kick his ass and leave him for dead.

And that would be perhaps the one thing Suigetsu would not be able to stand.

Not that he would ever admit it aloud. No, he knew better than to let on that he was terrified of being left alone as well as the fact that his relationship with Sasuke had long ago moved past something as simple as companionship. Suigetsu was dependent on the other boy, and he damn well was aware of it, even if he never acknowledged such a troubling occurrence. It was just one of those things that were too personal, even for someone as blunt as himself.

He wondered sometimes if the other members of Hebi felt as he did. Karin was constantly clinging to and propositioning their Uchiha leader, so her feelings had been painfully obvious from the start. And sometimes Suigetsu couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her attraction than lust. God knows he hoped there was something more going on in her head than the constant prattling the rest of them had to endure. Really, for a ninja one would think she would know to shut the fuck up once in a while.

Juugo was more uncertain. The large man was obviously loyal to Sasuke, but whether that was because he was Sasuke or if it was because of the past and the person who the Uchiha represented to the larger member of their team was anyone's guess. The man with the rust colored hair rarely spoke, much less offered such personal information. And having witnessed the homicidal rage the other man was prone to experience, even Suigetsu generally tried to avoid being the cause of the other's bloodlust.

It had nothing to do with the fact that the one time he had faced off against Juugo, Sasuke had intervened and threatened to kill them both. Really, that was just a coincidence.

In any case, Suigetsu could not define what kept him tied to the Uchiha. Unlike the other members of Hebi, he could not offer a solid reason why he stayed. He was simply here because of a combination of a thousand different moments that had long ago ended. He was here because he had nowhere else to go. He was here because he wanted to be, goddamnit.

Or at least, he thought this was where he wanted to be. It had been so long since Suigetsu had been given the option of making a choice of actual consequence, that as a result, sometimes he had trouble remembering what it was like to be more than a tool for slaughter. Really, it wasn't his fault he had been born and raised to be a killer.

So when it came time for Sasuke to fight Itachi and he ordered the rest of Hebi to hang back, Suigetsu did not think to question the order. Because Kisame was there as a distraction, and was a distraction that was beneficial to himself. That is, if he could manage to kill the other former Mist-nin. So Suigetsu fought the blue-skinned man and did not give the Uchiha a second thought.

And then Karin screamed.

It was not a scream of annoyance—as he had quickly grown used to—and it was not a warning for him to hurry and finish the fight. It was a tone he never imagined he would hear from the obnoxious medic, and so it took a minute to distinguish the words hidden behind the emotion. The emotion was despair. The word was no.

Kisame had stopped attacking and retreated a few paces, his attention focused off in the distance where a large black cloud hung ominously over what had most likely been the battlefield of the Uchiha brothers, the direction in which Karin was staring in horror.

"What the hell?" Suigetsu took the time to demand, though he had not shifted his eyes away from Kisame and the distant buzz of powerful chakra that had been released by high-level jutsus.

"Sasuke's gone!"

"Well, duh, he left a while ago to fight his crazy bastard of a brother."

"No, you idiot! His chakra signature just suddenly disappeared."

"…what?"

"Even though he and Itachi weren't close by, I could still sense his chakra. But now…now it's just gone. Either the two of them moved a significant distance away, or…or the fight is over."

Neither Suigetsu or Juugo asked what she meant. They both knew all too well what the possible outcomes of the brother's fight were.

"Oi," Kisame drawled lazily as he sheathed Samehada across his back once again and turned casually to look at the red-haired medic, "I don't suppose if you can tell if Itachi-san is still around?"

Karin watched the blue-skinned man silently for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not as familiar with his chakra signature and that chakra cloud makes it hard to sense anything distinct."

Suigetsu considered asking just how it was she knew Sasuke was gone in one way or another, then remembered exactly whom it was he was talking too. Karin was an expert at only two things, as far as he was concerned: sensing chakra and stalking Sasuke.

What happened next became a blur in the mind of the white-haired Mist shinobi. If asked later, all he would know was that Kisame was suddenly gone, and the three remaining members of Hebi were at the edge of the battlefield destroyed by the Uchihas, watching the black flames burn. But there was no sign of either of the brothers.

Sasuke was gone. And this time, it could be for good.

Suigetsu could not describe the feeling that ripped through him the moment he made this realization, though no sign of his inner turmoil could be seen from the outside. In fact, all of Hebi kept their faces carefully blank, even as they left the scene where their leader had potentially died.

Because in the end, they were all soldiers. Because there was a large squadron of unknown shinobi heading their way. Because none of the three them knew what to do now. Because Sasuke's one use for them had been fulfilled. Because if Sasuke was alive, Itachi was dead, and if so, Sasuke would no longer have need of the squad he had assembled for the sake of killing his older brother.

Because, one way or another, it was over.

And as the three of them moved stealthily away from the approaching soldiers, Suigetsu couldn't help but think he likely would never get the answers to the questions he had never quite bothered enough to ask their leader.

It also looked like he would be forced to learn what it was like to be left behind. He couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before he was out there trying to track Sasuke down to the ends of the earth, like the blond kid from Konoha he'd heard stories about.

**0**O**0**O**0**O**0**

Once upon a time, Sakura had done everything she could imagine to make herself appealing to Sasuke. She had spent hours, days studying the etiquette books, learning all the things that could ever possibly be expected of the wife of a clan leader. She had spent just as much time scrounging for information on the Uchiha and their customs, but had found little to go on as it seemed Sasuke's family had been just as secretive as the boy she cared so much for seemed to be. But she knew that was not the real Sasuke. The real Sasuke was passionate and determined and competitive and possessed a sarcastic sense of humor that few people were able to get. But she understood it—she had understood _him_—or so Sakura had liked to tell herself when she was younger. So she had become demure, submissive, and silent in the young Uchiha's presence, as the books had told her to be. It was not fitting for the head of a clan as illustrious as the Uchiha to have a wife possessing any other personality.

And then she had learned Sasuke didn't give a damn about what was "fitting" or "proper." Missions together had first given her hints of that. And then the last Uchiha had left Konoha in order to obtain his own goals, and she had learned for certain there were things about Sasuke—and the Uchiha clan as a whole—that she would never suspect, much less know.

And when he had finally returned to Konoha, after all the years and months and weeks and days and even down to the last minute that she had counted in his absence, she was forced to realize a fact that should have been so painfully obvious. Just as he had not stayed in Konoha for her, he had not returned for her either.

Naruto had promised to bring the Uchiha back for her. But now she knew that the blond had been trying to bring Sasuke back just as much—if not more— for himself as he had for her. Because she had seen the obsessive determination he had displayed in his training. Because she had seen how he had reacted that first time they had been reunited, how he had frozen the minute Sasuke had so casually wrapped an arm across his shoulders before drawing that lethal katana. Because she had seen just how desperate he was, months later, when one of his clones had met and been destroyed by the raven-haired teen and it had seemed almost as if he had been close enough to touch, though none of them had actually seen him in person.

And then they had all learned that Sasuke was still out of reach, just as he always had been.

Because when they arrived where Sasuke should have been, where he had fought his murderous brother and supposedly won, there was no sign of either Uchiha.

But then, finally, finally Sasuke was back where he should have been all along. Though admittedly, things had been awkward between all of them for a while. It may have been because the former members of Team 7 had dedicated so much time and effort into finding him, only for him to come back on his own. It may have been the eyes of the townspeople that followed all of the Rookie 9 avidly, and their voices that whispered gossip so frantically throughout the village as soon as the Uchiha's friends or supporters were out of earshot. Or the awkwardness could have something to do with the veritable fleet of ANBU that had taken to sticking very close to the Uchiha for the first several months, though Sasuke had made a point not to do anything even remotely suspicious and had even neglected his training more than he ever had before in his life.

Eventually, though, things had retuned mostly to normal. The ANBU and the other members of the retrieval team sent after Sasuke had returned to their various squadrons and missions. Sakura returned to her duties at the hospital and her apprenticeship with the Hokage, Naruto still ate sickening amounts of ramen and even had the nerve to show up at Ichiraku several times with numerous copies of himself in tow, spouting something about finally being able to "have the experience of ramen tenfold" and "never having to make the decision for what flavor to get again." Kakashi despaired at this abuse of his training and occasionally violently sparred with Sasuke to remind the boy just how unpleased he still was about having been replaced as a teacher by Orochimaru. Sasuke for the most part remained as solitary as he had been before he had left, focusing his attention on rebuilding the clan compound that had long ago fallen into disrepair. He had not yet been able to bring himself to once again live there, but swore vehemently that it would one day happen.

When she had heard he and Naruto had started doing missions together, Sakura had almost cried. Because both of her boys were finally—after so many years apart—home for good.

So she had given no thought to the matter when people began to notice the two infamous shinobi were rarely away from each other. They had been close in a sort of backwards way before, when they were children, so what did it matter if they were inseparable now? The two had been through many things since the days when they could barely be in a room without a fight. Hell, they had been through most of those things for the sake of the other, so it shouldn't have been unusual for the violence that had once been so vital to the relationship to mellow somewhat. They still argued and fought and sometimes tried to kill the other, but the relationship still seemed so inherently _right_ that she had not thought to question it.

And she assumed that as they grew older, Sasuke's attention would shift from rebuilding his clan's home to rebuilding the clan itself. And though she no longer acted the part of a demure clan leader's wife, Sakura assumed she would get the position without a second thought. Because, really, who else was there? Even out of their friends, she was the only female that the Uchiha could tolerate in large doses, and Sakura knew that Sasuke would never take a civilian as his life partner. Because a civilian would never be able to withstand the hefty weight of the Uchiha name, or understand what he had lived through, or be able to stand his infuriatingly stoic personality and singularly odd friendship with the boy who contained the demon Kyuubi within his body.

In the end, she took comfort in the fact she had been at least partially right in her assumptions.

After all, she never would have expected what Sasuke would be attracted to would be blond and loud and all around obnoxious.

The two were subtle about the change in their relationship, but she had known them both far too long not to notice. At first she had been devastated, then angry, then reclusive, before finally admitting to herself she really should have expected it to happen years ago.

And the fact that neither of them had yet to muster the courage to actually tell her allowed Sakura the pleasure of continually interfering in the relationship to her heart's content. It was perhaps cruel to keep dropping blatant hints about rebuilding the clan whenever she saw Sasuke, especially since the Elders had been breathing down his neck about the issue since the moment he had returned to Konoha. It was perhaps unnecessary to convince some of the female nursing staff to go ahead and confess their feelings for Naruto to the boy when he happened to be around…especially since she had taken to suggesting to the girls she did not particularly care for to make sure Sasuke was around to "help smooth things over" when they made their declaration of love.

Because, really, she loved both of them and wanted them to be happy, even if that happiness was not directly related to her. But goddamnit, she was going to make them both work for that knowledge.

**0**O**0**O**0**O**0**

**Ending Note: **This is an odd little fic all around, and I'll be the first to admit that. Really not sure what to think about the Hebi part, as it doesn't seem to work quite as well as my other stuff regarding them, despite the fact I really did want to write SuiSasu…meh, maybe I'll try it again sometime or rewrite that section when my brain isn't about to explode

…especially since part of me wants to write a Naruto and Suigetsu encounter in relation to the first section of this.

Also, I'm finishing this after pulling an all-nighter for the sake of Relay for Life and writing one of the two papers due this coming week for school. And yes, I will use that as an excuse for any typos or glaringly obvious mistakes, especially in the Sakura section.

But still feel free to mention things like that in a review, which I encourage everyone to leave, since they usually eventually encourage me to write other things…. like updates and possibly even continuations of certain other Hebi related fics...if you know what I mean.


End file.
